Page 114 of The Dragonrider and the Void
“Ingamar?” Lark asked in confusion.
Venrick straightened, his expression clearing momentarily. “He came,” he said with something like wonder. “I called, and he came.”
“Called? You don’t have a bond—” Lark began but stopped as she saw the way Ingamar looked at Venrick. Not with the casual dismissal she remembered, but with focused intensity.
Something’s changed between them.
“It’s because of this,” Venrick gestured to the black lines creeping up his neck. “Whatever the King did to me triggered a new ability within me. Ingamar and I are connected now. It’s not a true bond, in the sense of sharing the magic of a Hyalite, but it’s a bond.”
The Void Drinker laughed again, instantly forcing Lark to cringe. “How convenient,” it mused. “The vessel summons his mount, like a Knight of the Keeps. Yet neither of you understand what you face.”
The Void Drinker’s smokey arms shot toward a section of the chamber wall, and the veil between realms tore open. The energies of multiple realms began to pour into the sanctuary, creating a maelstrom of conflicting magics. The metals against Lark’s chest burned with a blistering heat in response to the chaos. She groaned from the pain, then focused on Venrick to give her strength.
“If either of you want to live, you need to move with me,” Barrik said urgently.
“Why should I trust you?” Lark growled.
“I’m your family, Ella.”
“Only by marriage,” she protested.
“We might not see eye to eye on how our world should be governed, but I don’t want to see it destroyed any more than you do. Now, if you want to see this entity put under lock and key for good, then come with me to the forge, now.”
A crack sounded overhead. Lark looked up to see most of what was left of the roof crashing down on them. She prepared to intercept the falling section of the chamber, drawing on her bond with White Eye. But before she could act on it, a surge of water enveloped the boulder, casting it aside.
Hardin and Sasja emerged at their side, Hardin’s hands slick from using the power of his and Quinthara’s bond.
“The dwarves said the Vaerdium needs to be forged at the exact moment the Flashover peaks,” Yarla said, looking at the tear between realms. “That’s minutes from now, judging by the barriers’ instability.”
“Then we don’t have time to debate,” Lark decided. She turned to Venrick, their eyes meeting in perfect understanding despite the commotion. “I’ll take the metals to the forge. You work with Ingamar to hold the Void Drinker back as long as possible.”
“That thing will kill you the moment it realizes what you’re doing,” Venrick protested.
“Not if it’s distracted.” Lark glanced at Hardin. “Can you amplify Venrick’s connection to Ingamar? Create a focal point for the dragons outside?”
Hardin hesitated only a moment before nodding. “I think so. Drawing on Quinthara’s energy, I can create a resonance like the one she created in Doran. It might just be enough to strengthen their link temporarily.”
Venrick grasped Lark’s hand, his expression fierce despite the corruption spreading across his features. “There’s somethingelse you should know,” he said, his voice low and urgent. “It’s about the Winter Court’s price.”
“I know,” she replied, squeezing his hand. “To complete the binding ritual and establish the gateways between realms, I must remain in the fae realm as guardian until Winter deems my debt paid.”
Shock registered on his face. “What? No, that’s not?—”
The chamber shook again, more violently than before. A chasm opened between them, forcing Lark to leap back as the floor separated. Venrick was suddenly yards away across an expanding gulf. Ingamar moved to his side with protective vigilance.
“Lark!” Venrick shouted over the rumble of collapsing stone.
“Go,” she called back, her heart in her throat. “Coordinate the dragons. I’ll complete the ritual.”
She saw him hesitate, saw the argument forming on his lips. But another section of ceiling collapsed. Yarla pulled him out of the way as the chunk of stone cut off her view. When the dust cleared, he and Ingamar were gone, moving out through the opening to the sky above, Yarla safely seated behind him.
“Time to move,” Barrik said, gripping her arm.
With Hardin and Sasja in tow, they navigated their way toward the forge. Within moments, the Void Drinker was onto their objective. Hissing tendrils of black corruption shot out at them. Barrik erected shields of stone from the ground. Lark set the air around the tentacles on fire, burning them with a blistering blue flame, searing back the attacks with the heat of the stars. Hardin shielded them from the flames with a veil of water as Nix’s fae energy aided Lark in her efforts.
“The Entity is focusing on tearing down the barriers,” Barrik explained as they reached the forge. “It’s vulnerable during the process, it’s distracted.”
“Almost too convenient,” Sasja muttered, her accusatory gaze never leaving Barrik’s face. “Why are we trusting this ash-stain now? After everything he’s done to stop us.”
